Trust No One
by Zompyre
Summary: Everyone knows not to talk to strangers... Especially in Gotham.
1. Chapter 1: The Colour of Blood

**A/N:** Before I officially start this story, I just wanna say that this is my first time writing an actual story, so please, no flames- only constructive criticism and comments. Needless to say, I don't own anything in this story except Scarlet. ***sobs*** I want my Joker…Thanks a lot! Without further ado, my story!

Chapter One: The Colour of Blood

The bell rang, once again releasing us from the dim classrooms of Gotham High. I gathered my books and started towards the lockers. Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Scarlet Moore and I'm a freshman at Gotham High School. I'm 5' 5" and pretty much invisible. I have pale skin, light brown hair and a somewhat lanky form. But my eyes are what set me apart. They're a bright blue hue with green flecks in them. Anyway, I don't matter right now.

I passed by the window, I noticed an unmarked van running in the parking lot. In the driver's seat was a man in a hat and a trench coat with the collar pulled up.

_He turned and looked at me._

Suddenly, I realized I had been staring. I shook my head and took one last peek out the window.

_He was gone._

I blew it off. I mean, you have to get out of the car sometime, right? Any ways, I was supposed to meet Quentin after school today, so I couldn't waste any more time staring out the windows! I continued to my locker. I opened it, then set my books down. I began to pack up my things when I was interrupted.

"Excuuuse me, but could you, ah, di-rect me to thhheee… gym, little girl?" a high voice asked. "I seem to beeee…." It trailed off, looking for the right word. I turned around to see the man I had seen in the trench coat, staring down at me with his dark, almost black eyes. "…**Lost**." The last part was said in a low, husky tone.

I stared a minute or two, trying to decide what to do. "I'm, uh, in a hurry, you see. I need to… meet-ah with a fewww peo-ple." He giggled at the last part. Whoever he was, he was starting to scare me! "It's down that hall, past the music room," I mumbled, hoping he would go away. His eyes flickered with mischief. I turned back to my locker.

Much to my annoyance, he grabbed my shoulder. "Thanks a lot-ah," he said, popping the _'t'_, "What's your name, lit-tle girl?" he asked, a grin spreading behind his collar. "Scarlet…. Scarlet Moore." I stuttered. I was really getting nervous.

"Hmmm… Scarlet, eh?" he purred. I nodded, turned and ran down the hall, hopping he wouldn't stop me again. I slowed to walk once I thought I was far enough away. My mind drifted off to the stranger. I thought I'd seen those eyes before… I wonder where I'd-

"**EARTH TO SCARLET, COME IN SCARLET!" **A deafening screech interrupted my train of thought. "Are you even listening to me?" Quentin spat. Obviously she had been talking to me for a while. Quentin Sharpe is my best friend and the prettier one of us two. She's a blonde with jade green eyes and a body like a model.

I shook my head again. "Yeah, sorry. Something on my mind…." I trailed off. "**Geez, **Scarlet! You gotta get your head outta the clouds! You're gonna get yourself kidnapped!" she joked, as we walked out the school doors.

_She was more right than she knew._

_**Elsewhere**_

"Scarlet …" the Joker said sinisterly, "The colour of blood." A wolfish grin spread over his scarred cheeks. They would have to meet again.

**A/N: **That's the end of chapter one! Hopefully, my other chapters will be longer than this one, but it's my first fanfic… Please review and tell me what you think! (By the way, my dear children… **DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS! **XD)


	2. Chapter 2: Hide and Seek

**A/N: **I felt so happy seeing all the people who had already read my story, sooooooo I wanted to update as soon as possible! I promise this will be longer. I also want to thank **XPyschoBabyDollX** for being my first reviewer! She wins a puppy! :D But, enough with my nonsense and onto the story! I thought I'd try writing a bit from the Joker's point of view today, so we'll see how that goes… I hope you guys like it!

Chapter 2: Hide and Seek

The white van sped down the streets of Gotham, avoiding the cops that were sure to follow. People screamed, desperately trying to get out of the way and tires squealed as drivers panicked to avoid the van. The Joker sat in the driver's seat, his trench coat long since been abandoned and a maniacal grin fixed upon his face. His eyes were wild and carried that ever-present glint of danger. He let loose peals of laughter making it very hard to stay on the roads- not that he cared. His mind was elsewhere, replaying the scene of the explosion over and over in his mind.

_*Joker Flashback*_

The Joker sauntered his way to the gymnasium of Gotham High, with the help of an…. interesting student. But- he'd _take care of_ her later. He made note of the emergency exits nearby. _"I'll need those later on,"_ he thought, grinning mischievously. As he reached the doors, he noticed the crowd in the bleachers. "Must be in the middle of a game…" he mused, "Ah well, the more, the merrier!" he chuckled.

He pulled a small box from one of his pockets. _The detonator_. His smile widened, if possible, as he imagined the amount of chaos it would cause…

He forced open the metal doors of the gym. No one seemed to pay him any mind. "That's gonna have to change," he sighed.

He pulled a gun from his pocket and fired a few shots. The whole gym panicked, sending the audience into complete and utter madness. People were shoving their way to the exits, only to find them locked and guarded by men in clown masks. The Joker motioned to the men and they crammed the terrified mob back into the bleachers.

"Heeeee-llo ladies and germs!" he yelled gleefully, making his way to the center of the basketball court. His eyes scanned the crowd, gauging the crowd's reaction. He sighed and rolled his eyes, and carelessly shot a woman who had gotten her cell phone out. "Hmmm… And I thought you all were smarter than that. I guess I'll just have to… teeeach you." He strolled towards the bleachers.

"I'm here to, ah, _play_ a little game…" The Joker paused, glancing at the athletes surrounding him. He smirked at the apparent look of fear on all their faces. "How about-ah…. Oh, an old classic." His eyes sparked with menace and his voice lowered to a husky growl, "Hide. And. Seek."

The crowd was obviously confused. "But we're all big kids here, right? So we're not-tah gonna play a lit-tle sissy's game like that. Hahahee!-**No**- we're gonna plaaaayyy…." He grinned wolfishly, and motioned to the goon closest to him. "…. _**My**__ way_…"

The goon was carrying a large box with straps and wires haphazardly running through it. On the front was a big smiley face. The Joker's eyes lit up and he turned to face the crowd again. "You all know… what-tah _this_ is, right? This, my dear children, is a bomb," he grinned, "And you all have to find it before time. Is. Up."

"Let's see… How abooouuut… **You,**" he growled, his voice low and menacing. He grabbed the man sitting in the front row by the arm and dragged him back to the center of the court. The Joker looked the man in the eyes. "What is your naaaaaame?" he asked, his voice returning to its high-pitched tone. "M-m-Michael… S-sm-Smith…" he stuttered.

The Joker turned once again to face the crowd. "Here is our 'it'." He began to fiddle with the straps on the box. "You all have to find 'it' before the time is up," The Joker started to tie the straps around the terrified man. "If you **don't**," he removed the detonator from the box, "I blow you all up! If any of you try to escape-ah, I blow you all up!" He began laughing hysterically, "Oh, and if I find him first, oh you're not gonna like it! Waha-hoo-hee-ha!"

The man screamed and struggled harder in the Joker's grasp. "Oh shush-shush-shush… Now, Bozo here…" he motioned again to the clown and the clown gagged 'it', "He's gonna hide 'it,' and you all get to find him." 'Bozo' grabbed the man and dragged him out the doors and down the hall. "You'll have…. Fiiiive minutes to find 'it'. Your. Time. Staaaaaaarts…." He looked at his watch, "**Now**."

The goons opened the doors and the people scrambled to get out, franticly searching everywhere for 'it.' Left alone in the empty gym, save a few random goons, the Joker strolled over to the locker room door, and opened it. 'It' fell face-forward onto the gym floor.

"Guess that meeeeannnsss… I win! Hee-he-hoo-ha-hee!" He dragged 'it' out to center court, laughing to himself and humming an unknown tune. He motioned to the goons surrounding him and they left through the emergency exits. He pressed the button on the detonator and a light began to flash on the box. "That's our cue!" the Joker chuckled, running towards the van in the parking lot. "I wanna drive!" he cackled as he hopped into the driver's seat. The goons piled into the back of the van just before the Joker stamped on the gas pedal.

As if on cue, the school behind them burst into flames, hurtling bricks and metal scraps in every direction!

**BOOOOOOM!**

Screams of terror followed as bystanders franticly tried to get away. Debris littered the sidewalk and smoke dominated the air in thick, billowy clouds. The surrounding trees caught fire and collapsed onto the rubble below. "_Today_," the Joker thought, "_Was a __**good**__ day._" Now… what to do with Scarlet…

*End Joker Flashback*

**A/N: **Ta-da! End of chapter 2! Just a heads up, but I normally won't be able to update as fast as this one. I'm going to go on vacation for 2 weeks and school starts soon after that, so expect a longer wait between chapters. Thanks so much! Please review and let me know what you thought!

ReviewReviewReviewReview! Come on, I wantcha ta do it. I wantcha ta do it. Come on come on! I wantcha ta do it! REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 3: Let's Get the Ball Rolling

**A/N: **Hello, my dear children! Lots to say today!

Another day, another chapter! I wanna thank everyone for their reviews! It is people and reviews like yours that keep me going! Well, I heard that you guys liked the last chapter, so, I'm going to try another bit of Joker POV. Just a little though, not an entire chapter. We wouldn't want to forget about Scarlet now, would we? (Wait… would we?) Chapters may come slower now, since the start of school. High school's going to be tough, so wish me luck! But, I've ranted enough. I sincerely hope you all like my story! Now, on with the show! :D

Chapter Three: Let's Get the Ball Rolling…

_Scarlet's POV_

I walked in the door of my house, dropping my school bag on the floor as I entered. I hung my coat in the closet, and I trudged up to my room. I needed some rest… I didn't want to provoke another migraine. The best thing to do was lay down, but I couldn't.

My mind was still on the man in the trench coat. Half of me wanted to find out more, but my other half screamed, "_Leave well enough alone! You've got no business with him!_" But I couldn't just ignore it! Our conversation _still_ bothered me. There was something about it that didn't seem quite right. Who could he be meeting in the gym? There was a basketball game going on- or maybe that was Thursday…

I sighed, my head throbbing with the pang of an oncoming headache. "All this pointless worrying is going to be the death of me…" I grumbled, "I need to lie down." I came to the door of my room, and pushed it open. I flung myself onto my bed and tried to get a bit of sleep to calm my nerves.

I sat on the edge of my bed, half-heartedly flipping through the channels. There was nothing good on. I sighed and stood up. What's the point of television if all they show is reruns? I walked into the kitchen, my socks sliding across its wooden floor. Mom was out running errands and dad wouldn't get home until six, so the pantry was mine to raid.

Half a bag of chips and a few cookies later, I found myself once again on the edge of my bed, flipping channels. My phone rang. I looked at the caller I.D. and I rolled my eyes. It was Quentin. I decided to ignore it. Usually, with her, it wasn't anything too important. She would understand, and I could always text her back. My head was elsewhere, so I doubt I'd be much for conversation anyway.

I had started to drift away from my thoughts. My eyelids began to droop and I gave way to the sleepiness that was sure to come. I slipped into to a heavy, dreamless sleep.

Unaware that not answering my phone was the worst mistake I'd ever make…

Unaware that these were my last moments of sanity…

And _blissfully_ unaware I was being watched by a _very familiar_ white van…

_Joker's POV_

The Joker sat in his chair, feet up on top of his worn and badly scratched desk, idly flipping his favourite switchblade around in the air. He was recovering from one of his frequent migraines. This was one of the very few times the stillness **didn't** bother him.

Suddenly, his silence was shattered. The door was flung open, barely managing to stay on its rusty hinges. A rather portly goon came tumbling through the now open door, panting heavily. The Joker growled and rubbed his temples, reaching for the knife he had dropped. "What, _in God's name-ah_, is so **damn** im-por-tant?" he rumbled in a low, menacing tone. The clown shifted from foot to foot, searching for a reply.

The Joker then lost his patience and he flung the blade furiously at the wall towards the goon. The knife embedded itself in the wall, handle sticking out of the ugly, peeling wallpaper nearest the goon. Now _obviously_ fearing for his life, the clown began to franticly screaming. He hoped the news would snap the boss out of his current mood. "BOSS! BOSS! WE FOUND 'ER! WE FOUND TH' GIRL!"

The Joker, who had been readying himself to throw yet another knife, paused. His permanent grin widened and his voice returned to the sing-song tone. "Weeeeell… Where exactly is she? Hmmmm? If you're going to barge in here like this, you better have infoooo…" he said between giggles. "I uh….. Ummm," the incompetent goon stuttered. He pulled out a disposable phone. He had obviously forgotten. The Joker groaned and chucked the knife at a nearby wall. The goon flinched. After a few moments of silence, he put the phone away hurriedly. "She's at 4479 Autumn Drive…. Near th' Palisades, Boss."

The Joker smirked and laughed harder. "Well then, we'd better get the ball rolling now, shouldn't we?" His Glasgow smile widened, if possible. "Start the car. I need to grab a feeeeeeeeeew….. Supplies," The clown didn't need to be told twice. He ran from the room, his heavy footsteps thundering down the hallway behind him.

Reaching out towards the wall in front of him, the Joker pulled the knife from its current resting place. He began to hum an unknown tune as he started towards the door. "_This_," he laughed, "_Is going to be __**fun**__….._"

_Scarlet's POV _

I woke up feeling much more refreshed. I had decided I was going to forget about the stranger. It was all a mess of unneeded anxiety! No good can come from something like that, so it'd be best to try and ignore it. I picked up my phone.

**19 Missed Calls from: Quentin**

**9 Missed Calls from: Mom **

**23 New Messages **

"Oh my God… What the Hell did I miss?" It _must _have been something important.

I guess I should call Quentin and Mom back. I'll call Quentin first, since she called last. I hit the speed dial and waited for the tone.

"OHMIGOD, SCARLET! WHAT THE-" I held the phone away from my ear, not wanting to blow my eardrums out. I waited for her to finish her string of obscenities and then put the phone back to my ear. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, Quentin. What happened?"

"Okay-so-I-was-driving-home-from-school-and-this-van-zoomed-by-me-and-then-there-was-this-huge-explosion-and-" "Quentin! English, por favor!" I could hear her take a few deep breaths.

"The Joker blew up the school. And now, he's on the run."

I dropped my phone. "Scarlet? Hello?" Oh my God… The man in the trench coat!

I jump up from my bed, and ran out my door. "Hang on…" I muttered to myself, "What's this?" There was a note suck to it. Scrawled across it in poor handwriting was my worst nightmare.

_hEllO ThERe, ScArLEt! _

_DidN't Y0uR MOtHeR TeLl yOU NoT TO tAlK t0 STraNgeRs?_

_AnYWay, I HavE DEciDed THaT YoU ARe GOinG TO tAke A lItTLe TrIP _

_wITh mE. It'S A SEcrET, SO iF YoU RUiN ThE SuRPRiSe, I MiGHt HaVE _

_to GO vISit YoUR FrIEnd QUenTiN InSteAD… BuT ShE's nOT GoNNA LiKe It._

_wE'Ll PiCK yOu Up THurSdaY ArOUNd MiDNIght, aND SinCE itS nOT a SChoOL_

_NIghT, That WoN'T Be A pRObLem. _

_LOL,_

_J :D_

It'd didn't take an Einstein to figure out who 'J' was because pinned to the bottom was a Joker card.

I was screwed.

End of Chapter Three!

**A/N: **Sooooooo…. Scarlet is pretty much doomed! Sorry the note sucked. It's kind of hard writing a note like that with no experience. (thank God. :D) Review and tell me what you thought! I'm, really proud of this one. Anyway, check out my profile! I have a contest going on with my cousin and all the info's on there. Thanks!

!


	4. Chapter 4: A Game of Catch and Release

**A/N:** Hey kids! I am so sorry for the late update! A few months between updates are unacceptable! I've been having some high school drama, so I haven't even touched my lappy for weeks... I read through my reviews and found the fuel to keep writing! Speaking of, I wanna thank my reviewers.

As always, **XPyshcoBabyDollX**! Thanks **SO** much for always being the first to review! Always look forward to hearing from you!

I want to shout out to **LoserLikeSkeeter, Vintage-Wonder, Gir2345, precious92 or freezingtime92, dynamiteXcookie, and bellac661** for reviewing last chapter! And last, but not least, my anonymous readers!

**-nymphy**: Wow! So nice to hear from you! I'm glad to know I've got your Joker approval! The 'Joker Blogs' actually helped me get his character right. Look them up on YouTube!

**-Heelo you D**: Hey! Really glad you chose my story to help you! I can't wait to hear from you again. :D

Wow that was a LOT of exclamation points… Anyway! This picks up right where we left off!

**Chapter Four: A Game of Catch and Release.**

_Scarlet's POV_

"Ugh… My head…." I sat up, immediately regretting the decision. My temples throbbed and my forehead felt like it was split in half. I laid myself gingerly back on the floor, taking a few deep breaths. I got back up, this time a bit slower, and tried to remember what had happened before. I could remember a few things, but the rest was all a blank. It must've been something important if I passed out. I sighed and ran through (what little I could remember of) that day's events. "Let's see…. I got home, ate some snacks…" I squinted, not that it would make remembering any easier, "I took a nap… called Quentin… then…."

Oh God.

I struggled to my feet and bolted for the door, ignoring the pounding in my head. I pleaded urgently, hoping it was all just a dream. A horrible nightmare that followed all the sugary snacks I'd eaten. "God, if it turns out to be a dream," I prayed, "I swear I'll never sneak junk food again!" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then, with dread welling up in the pit of my stomach, I peered up at my door.

I let out a much-needed sigh of relief. No note, no Joker. "Thank you! Thankyouthankyoutha-"

No sooner had the words left my mouth, a gloved hand gripped my shoulder.

"Well hel-looooooo beautiful! Enjoy your little… na_p_?"

My eyes widened, almost painfully. I knew that voice voice. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he had an iron fist. "Ah-tah-tah-tah-tah! _Aren't_ you glad to see me? Hmm?" He pulled me closer, my back still to him. I was so close, I swear I could smell him. The unmistakable odor of gasoline and something else… Campfire? No, Scarlet, this is the Joker. Probably more like forest fire.

"I just came…. to tell you thanks…" he purred, "For all. Your. Help. Without you, I'd still be wandering_ aaalll_ around that silly school!" I felt his hot breath on the back of my neck, sending enormous tremors of fear down my spine. I could almost hear him pause to lick those horrible, scarred lips. "Aren'**t **you glad its goooooone?" I stood there, frozen in terror.

In a flash of silver, I felt the coolness of steel against my throat. I gasped and shut my eyes tight, wishing it was still a dream. The shot of pain I felt next proved me wrong. "When I aaaaask you a **ques-tion**, you **an-swer**. Mkay? Otherwise, you **won't** like the consequences…." I nodded best I could, but stopped when I felt a small trickle of blood from the shallow cut he had made. The Joker, still not happy with my response, pushed the knife further into my neck. "Whaaaaaaat did you say, **peaches**? I can't heeeear you..." "Y-yes sir…" I whimpered, barely holding back tears.

The knife was lifted and I could see the ruby glint of my blood staining the edge. "Awww…." The Joker crooned, "Whatsa matter, peaches? Let's turn that frown upside down!" He turned me around so I was facing him and he raised blade again, this time cupping my face between his hands.

"You wanna know how I got these scars?..." I nodded, knowing full well I didn't have a choice anyway.

"Well…. I was…. Younger. Abooooout **your** age. My father left me. And my mother… she was a drunk. But she couldn't afford to buy liquor every time she wanted it, so…. She borrowed money from our ol' friend Mr. Falcone. She keeps drinking, and drinking and **drinking**. She becomes worthless. Couldn't keep a job. Couldn't pay back all the money she was spending. Couldn't even remember to lock the door." He paused and gave me a wolfish grin, "Kinda like you. Sooo…. One night, Falcone decides he wants his money back. And he wants it **now**. So he decides to send a few of his…. 'friends' to come get it. I was asleep in my room. I **didn't hear** the man walk in. I **couldn't hear** my mom come home. I **never heard** the gunshots. But then... I woke up. And I saw her, lying on the ground. **Drowning**…in her own blood." His voice had taken a terrifying tone, and I could hear the hysteria in his every word. "And I started to cry. The man walked over to me, laughing with. **Every. Step**… He knelt down beside me, and he put a knife… in my mouth." As he said this, he slowly shifted the blade from its place on my throat to my mouth, slipping it between my lips and tugging at the corner of my cheeks. "He said I shouldn't cry… that **crying** was for babies. Aaaaand….." He pulled a bit harder near my cheeks, "He did this to me."

By now I was an inconsolable mess, held up only by the Joker's grasp on my face. Damn, he was strong.

"Please, Mr. Joker, just-" I stopped, feeling the knife dig further into my cheek. "Ah-tah-tah-tah-tah… I'm not done here yet. No, I came to make sure you were coming on our little… trip!" He grinned, "Had to make sure you weren't gonna… drop out on us, now." His smile turned sinister, and he let go off my chin, sending me toppling to the ground. "Because I'd haaaaaate to see your friend… _Quentin was it_?... **Get. Hurt.**"

"Leave her out of this! She got nothing to do with this! I'm not even sure what I have to do with this! You're insa-" Once again, I stopped, but this time it wasn't because of a blade in my mouth. No, **this** because of the absolute _death glare_ coming from the Joker. Those eyes did more damage than any knife could possibly do. **Ever**. I had a feeling that what I was about to say was not a good idea. Well, at least not if I planned to stay alive.

"Now, Scarlet… I'd reeeeeeaally hate to kill you right now… It'd spoil all our fun. **But**… you're trying my patience. _No one_ does that and **lives**.** Very**.** Long**…. Kay, peaches?" I gave a slow nod and stood up.

"That's better. Remember, Thursday…. Tell anyone, and Quentin will pay. See you soon, _Scarlet_!"

With that, the clown left, taking my last moments of sanity with him.

_**Elsewhere**_

"Scarlet?" Quentin whispered, setting down her phone, hands shaking in shock of what she'd just heard. "What's happening?"

**A/N: **Ta-da! Twist ending! :D Didn't see that coming, didja?

Til next chapter…

Love and laughter,

XxXZompyreXxX


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, my dearest followers! 3

If you haven't been on my page recently, (which, due to my extreme lack of activity, is highly likely… XD) I'm basically starting everything over.

BASICALLY. Not entirely, however. I'm still in debate over my story.

Most of the debate is plot-wise. The overall writing in the story isn't too bad, but unfortunately, the plot is non-existent and Scarlet was sorta heading down the Mary Sue/self-insertion fic rabbit hole of doom.

I'm thinking about rewriting at least portions of the story and re-uploading them. Any objections? Speak now, or forever hold your peace. ;3

All in all, I'd really like your input, if you got the time. C:

As far as writing in general goes, once I get more time on my hands and possibly a computer of my own, updates and new stories should be a regular-ish thing. I really do want to come back to FanFiction, I just gotta find the _. (insert word of choice: time, motivation, ideas, creativity, story, plot, etc…)

My apologies to any of you who got all excited and thought I had uploaded a new chapter… Once I figure out where I'm headed, I'll do just that! 3

Danke dearly,

Zompyre.


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